Hesston Swather Football Football is the greatest game in the world. It is also the most popular sport in the United States. It is a game played by special people who do things and put in work that ordinary people can t or won t do. Because of these factors, we are the most visible group at Hesston Middle School. It is up to us to not only follow the rules, but to set the standard of behavior in our school. In order for you to know exactly what is expected of you as a member of the football team, as well as to keep the lines of communication open, the following regulations are set forth. We expect you to be, in order: 1. A good person 2. A good student 3. A good player The Swather Rule Do not be a part of any action that will bring discredit to your family, teammates or Hesston Middle School. We will enforce the school s policy on alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Anyone who goes against these rules will be subject to removal from the team. Basic Three There are three rules that, if followed, will cause everything to fall into place and life will go far more smoothly than if they are not. The Basic Three is: 1. Show up 2. Work to improve 3. Be respectful and respectable Practices You are expected to show up on time for practice. If you are early, you re on time. If you re on time, you re late. The only people that will decide if you are excused from practice are Coach Koehn, school administration or the trainer/doctor. If you cannot come to practice, all players must notify Coach Koehn by 9:00 AM on the day that will be missed. Coach Koehn can be reached by email at chris.koehn@usd460.org. Bus and Travel When we travel, it is very, very important that all players follow our team travel expectations. Travel expectations include ALL rules listed above. They also include the common courtesy of having headphones for your music source. No matter how cool you think your music is, not everyone wants to hear it. Coach Koehn does not want to hear it. All players are to dress in jeans or khaki shorts and wear their jerseys on the bus TO the game. All players are expected to return home with the team on the bus.
How do I get on the field? If you wish to start or see significant playing time, there are a few things that you need to prove to the coaching staff. You need to show the coaches that you have a winning attitude. Those with a true winning attitude are present and full participants in summer weights, as well as the off-season weight program (for non-winter/spring sport athletes). Physically and mentally you need to be the best player at your position. This includes knowing your assignments and completing your assignments successfully on the field. You must always be a team player and put the team s needs before your own. If you can prove these things to the coaching staff, you will see significant playing time. One important note here, being an upper-classman does not guarantee you will start or play more than a person younger than you. All playing time is earned through the off-season workouts, practices and previous games. Every football activity counts. You must earn your way onto the field. Injury and Practice We, as coaches, understand that people will get injured throughout the course of the season. In this program, injured players are expected to follow the trainer s/doctor s orders, maintain good academic standing and continue to attend each practice. You must be at practice and paying attention so that you are mentally prepared once you are cleared to return to participation. Personal Possessions and Equipment Each person is responsible for their own valuables and equipment. Keep your personal possessions locked up. Your equipment is provided for you by Hesston Middle School. Be proud of your equipment and uniforms as they reflect the dreams of many youngsters; the dream to become a SWATHER. Academics In regard to academics, the coaching staff expects each player to give an honest effort in school. There is no excuse for not doing assignments, studying for tests and doing so in a timely manner. Good grades are important. If you find your grades are falling it is your responsibility to find help for the course in question; ask the teacher if you don t understand, find a friend to tutor you, etc. Cut Policy The football cut policy is NOT related to a player s football ability. Any player that is willing to work to make himself better and is a good person who cares about the success of the team will make the team. The cut policy will affect those who are impeding team success. The following will give the coaches cause to cut a player from the team: 1. Repeated violations of the Swather Rule 2. Showing a pattern of unexcused absences from practice (this is a Coach Koehn decision, not that of players or parents) 3. Showing a pattern of selfishness
It is my hope that the cut policy will not be needed. As long as the Swather Rule is followed, life should be fairly easy and the cut policy will never even be considered. If the cut policy should be needed, be man enough to accept the consequences of your actions and to not blame the person who brings the issues to your attention. Problems Every once in a while, problems will arise. These are situations with which you may not be happy. These would be things like playing time, how you are being treated, etc. How you work to resolve your problem is very important and can tell a great deal about your character. If a problem arises, you need to first speak with your position coach (especially concerning playing time). If the problem cannot be resolved, both you AND your position coach can meet with Coach Koehn to resolve the issue. Please understand that having your parents call about playing time will result in some loss of respect from the coaches. Our coaches will not discuss playing time with your parents. Formations and Positions We will use several formations. Nearly all of them will be based on Deuce (a formation you ll see a bit later on). Knowing where to line up in Deuce will help you to understand how to line up in other formations. You will not see EVERY formation that will be run this season in this playbook, in the interest of space. Positions shown in the formations are represented by letters. The Offensive Line (OL) is represented by LT (Left Tackle), LG (Left Guard), C (Center), RG (Right Guard) and RT (Right Tackle). Skill positions include the WRs (Wide Receivers), RBs (Running Backs), Ys (Tight Ends) and QBs (Quarterbacks). The RBs have two separate labels, H(Halfback) and T(Tailback). The WRs are shown as Z (Slot Receiver), X (Wide Receiver), Y (Tight End), H (Second TE/Slot WR). Alignment As a general rule (assuming the ball is in the middle of the field), outside receivers should line up on the bottom of the numbers (the ones on the field). The inside receivers should split the distance between the outside receivers and the offensive tackles. The QB will line up with his toes 4.5 yards behind the center. Running back alignment will depend upon the play that we are running. Hole Numbering All gaps to the RIGHT of the C (Center) are even-numbered holes (2, 4, 6) and those to the LEFT are odd-numbered (1, 3, 5). Straight up the middle will be numbered 0.
Huddle X Z H T Y RT RG C LG LT QB The Center will set the huddle 6 yards from the ball. The QB will call the formation, motion (if applicable), the play, the hole, and the snap count. All of this will be done twice. For example, Swather Right Tide 44 (at this point the X, Y and Z will sprint to their spots in the formation; as will the H or TB if applicable), Swather Right Tide 44, Ready, SCORE! We will get to the point where we will want to Go fast after getting a first down. Be ready to go no huddle. Snap Count (Cadence) We will generally snap the ball on the word Go! The standard snap count will be Tide, Vegas, Go! If we choose to snap the ball on two the snap count would be Tide, Vegas, Go! Go! The snap count will nearly always be on one or two. Introduction to the Offense This offense is based on concepts. These concepts (as explained below) are interchangeable. This means that most plays start out looking the same, but are completely different. Once you know these concepts and understand them, learning to put them together should be fairly simple. Pass concepts are designed to make the passing game simpler for the QB. These will tax the WRs, TEs and RBs a bit more, but it can be figured out with practice. Basically, we are a Spread Option team. This puts tremendous pressure on the QB to get the correct reads and to distribute the ball effectively. On most plays, the QB will either be responsible for the primary read or secondary read (as on Rebel, Ducks, or Bear). The reason for this is to require the defense to defend the entire width and length of the field on any given snap. The keys to running an offense such as ours are as follows: 1. All players must execute their assignments completely and quickly. 2. All players have to carry out their assignments in a very physical manner. 3. The OL must get off the ball and must be physical and FINISH blocks. 4. All skill players (WRs, TEs, and RBs) must be equally good at blocking, carrying the football and catching the football. This is why they are called skill players. 5. All players must learn their assignments. This is essential if you want to play. 6. All players need to understand if this offense is to be successful, we must run the ball effectively. 7. When throwing the ball, we need great protection. Receivers must run crisp routes. The QBs must make quick decisions and throw the ball accurately, so that it can be caught.
The plays that are drawn for you are a sample of the ways each play can be run. In the interest of space, we did not provide every play out of every formation. If you know your basic assignments you should be able to run the basic plays from all of the formations. All of this information is provided to you in separate playbook email attachments. You should receive THREE (3) separate playbook attachments. They will all be in pdf format. They should be titled HMS Run Game, HMS Pass Game, and HMS Defense.